The present invention relates to a mounting method of a clip for mounting an installation base member of a weather strip on a flange provided along a body of an automobile and a mounting method of the weather strip using the clip.
In mounting a weather strip 10 on a flange 100 provided along a body of an automobile, in usual, plural protuberances 13 are formed inside sidewalls of a cross-section roughly U-shaped installation base member 12 with which a hollow seal member 11 is integrally molded so that a flange 100 is held making use of elasticity of the protuberances 13 as shown in FIG. 17. In addition, a core metal 14 which also roughly forms U shape in section is embedded inside the installation base member 12 in order to improve holding force of the protuberances 13 toward the flange 100. Cabin side of the installation base member 12 is covered with an interior material 15.
Generally, thickness of the flange 100 is not even and the thickness may continually vary including thick portions and thin portions, therefore, the holding force of the protuberances 13 and the core metal 14 can not sufficiently deal with variety of the thickness. In this connection, length of the protuberances 13 is varied at the time of extrusion-molding as shown in FIG. 18: the protuberances 13 are shortened where the flange is thick whereas the protuberances 13 are lengthened where the flange is thin.
But the above-mentioned extrusion-molding of the partially altered weather strip 10 depending on the thickness of the flange 100 is complicated. In addition, there may remain parts on the weather strip which do not sufficiently correspond to the shape of the flange 100. Further, the extrusion-molding of the cross-section roughly U-shaped installation base member 12 does not satisfy the recent demands for weight saving of the weather strip 10. Especially, when the core metal 14 is used, the weight of the weather strip further increases and the demands for recycling are not satisfied.
Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have invented the mounting of the weather strip 10 on the flange 100 by means of a clip.
The invention of mounting the interior part depending on the thickness of the flange by means of the clip is disclosed, for example, in the Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. H05-310084.
The invention shown in the Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. H05-310084, however, is directed to the mounting of a garnish as the interior part on the flange by means of the clip so as to reduce a clearance, therefore, is different from the invention of mounting the weather strip. Thus, the above-mentioned Publication does not disclose the weight saving of the weather strip.
In addition, the clip disclosed in the Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. H05-310084 is provided with a first holding part to hold the garnish and a second holding part to hold the flange thereby forming cross-section roughly S-shape. The second holding part wraps a top end of the flange, covers both sides of the flange, and has 3 protuberances (elastic projections) having respective degrees of bend. Therefore, the clip is complicated in structure and is difficult to mount.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide the clip which enables to mount the installation base member of the weather strip easily on the flange provided along the body of the automobile attempting the weight saving and to provide the mounting method of the weather strip using the clip.